About Floating

Our float pools are filled with water and enough Epsom salt mixed in to allow a person to float on the surface. The water is kept at skin-temperature, and the room is optionally quiet and completely dark, creating a place for our bodies to be free from gravity and all stimulation from the outside world.

About Floating

Floatation Therapy, aka "floating," can be both a powerful therapy and a very enjoyable (in)activity. Here is how it works:

Epsom salt

Our pools hold a solution that is about 2/3 water and 1/3 Epsom salt. This comes out to about 1100 pounds of Epsom salt! The Epsom salt adds density to the water, which in turn makes our bodies very buoyant. This buoyancy has an incredibly rejuvenating effect on the human body. While Epsom salt (Magnesium Sulfate) is used primarily in the float tank to actually make people float, Epsom salt comes with added benefits that include softening skin and alleviating stress and pain patterns.

Weightless

In addition to the standalone physical benefits of Epsom salt absorption, being suspended on a medium that is in between liquid and solid has many health benefits as well. While floating it is common to have subtle and profound physical releases from tension patterns that have taken root in our day to day earthbound bodies. Floating after a massage or chiropractic adjustment can be a very pleasant and effective combination.

Neutral Temperature

The temperature of the water is kept at 94°, the average external temperature of the human body. This is a temperature known as skin-receptor neutral, meaning the water creates no cues for the skin to report as stimulation.

Quiet

The float room is insulated from noise from the outside world, and light-trapped to create complete and total darkness. The combination of these elements creates an environment that is free from external stimulation. Our body responds to this environment by basically taking a gigantic mental and physical sigh of relief. No longer worried about filtering the outside world to look for potential danger, our production of stress-related hormones drop to almost nothing, our brainwaves lower in frequency to a state associated with mental relaxation and free-thinking, and there is a natural increase in the neurochemicals that correspond with joy. These effects are physiological and may linger for many days after your float.

Sanitation

After each float session the entire volume of the float pool cycles through the powerful UV & micron filtration system a minimum of 3 times. By comparison the standard for public pool sanitation is a 1 x water turnover every 6 hours! When leaving a float session you may note how clean and soft your body feels.

Why float?

Relief

Floating helps improve circulation, combat inflammation, and de-stress the entire body and mind. We have seen some wonderful results here at Deep with chronic and acute pain reduction, increased mobility, and much more. As floating becomes more common there are exciting new avenues of research, including fibromyalgia relief.

Coupled with counseling, floating has been found through peer reviewed science to help with addiction and trauma. While floatation therapy is not a panacea, it is a powerful addition to almost any healing focus. We also have success stories where floatation therapy helped where no other treatment could.

Quality of Life

EEG (electroenchephalogram) tests are very interesting representations of what is going on in the brain. Currently the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, OK is finding floatation therapy to be instrumental in bringing about harmonious changes in problematic brain patterns associated with addiction and anxiety. Whether subtle or acute, these patterns are to some degree common in modern society.

Decades of research on meditation has shown the beneficial effect that meditation has on the health of the brain. A Float Pool is an environment that supports deep meditation in both experienced and beginner meditation practitioners. Interestingly, brain patterns of Zen monks with 30+ years of meditation, deep in practice, have been shown to be comparable to an average person in a good float. In other words, floating regularly can be a huge benefit to YOUR life.

Performance

Improved clarity of mind, quicker reaction time, and recovery benefits of floating are well known in modern training regimens. The New England Patriots and Chicago Cubs are just two of many sporting organizations who utilize floatation therapy as part of their commitment to excellence. Below is a brief video showing how Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors floats.

Coming to Float

Here's what you need to know:

Simple Essentials

1. Floating is best on a light tummy, with no caffeine. Everyone is different, but generally we recommend a light meal 1 hour prior to floating. Why? One of the benefits of floating is we get to sink into the experience and stop scanning the environment for dangers etc. When this happens there are more resources available for internal processing and healing. It's a shame if this time is used to process that big steak we ate right before coming to float.

2. Best to not shave or wax within 3-4 hours of floating. The 1100 pounds of epsom salts dissolved in the water can sting irritated skin. *Note - If you have any small cuts or skin irritations, it will most likely sting for the first 10-15 minutes.

3. Try not to drink a lot of fluids before coming in. Please don't de-hydrate yourself, just maybe think of it like a 90 minute car ride when you don't want to have to pull over.

4. You do not need a swimsuit. Bathing suits bring in more debris, and are unnecessary in the private float room. Plus, clothing can get in the way of a good float.

The not-so-fine print

We want you to have an amazing and safe experience at deep and request that you be aware of and agree to the following information and policies:

1. No drugs or alchohol before (or during) your float. To preserve the integrity of our facility, tobacco users must abstain from smoking for at least 2 hours before floating. We reserve the right to deny access based on our assessment of a person's smell and sobriety.

2. We have a $1,000 contamination fee for our float pools. Voluntary or involuntary release of bodily fluids, communicable or infectious diseases, oils, creams, and hair dyes in the float solution may enact the contamination fee.

3. Cancellations must be done 24 hours in advance. Failure to give proper notice when canceling an appointment or not showing up for an appointment will incur a $49 charge. Members may forfeit a float from their membership balance in place of payment.